Tech & Biz

Astronomers Lose Access to Military Data

by Barbara McPherson | June 12, 2009 at 02:55 pm

125 views | 24 Recommendations | 2 comments

Astronomers have lost a valuable information source in their search of the heavens. The US military has maintained an informal relationship with astronomers tracking meteors and meteorites. The Pentagon has launched infrared detection satellites since the '70s. The primary purpose of these satellites is to detect atmospheric tests of nuclear weapons and missile launches. They also happen to be perfect to detect incoming meteors which heat up to incandescence when they enter our atmosphere.

When the policy changed is unclear. The website Space.com reported the end of the relationship on 10 June, but Brown says that he was told at the beginning of this year that there would be no further data releases. Mark Boslough, a physicist at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, says he was told this spring that he could no longer publicly discuss the classified data to which he had some access. Neither scientist could give a reason for the end of the arrangement, and the United States Air Force, which operates the satellites, did not respond in time for Nature's deadline. The Air Force did issue a 16 March memo on the military classification of fireball data, but Nature could not confirm its contents.

The nonclassified information made available to scientists allowed for much more accuracy in quantifying and tracking of meteors and meteorites. The finding using satellite information, of a meteorite fragment at Tagish Lake gave new information about primordial organic matter.
NASA Scientists Find Primordial Organic Matter in Tagish Lake Meteorite
The scientists are left to speculate the reasons for the cut off of information from these geosynchrous satellites.

0 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend This comment thread is now closed

A B (not verified)

at 16:47 on June 12th, 2009

I really hope the US military reverse their decision on this, though I suspect that might be wishful thinking. I don't suppose there's a bunch of slightly annoyed astronomers setting up a Paypal account for raising funds for launching their own IR satelite?